The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-11-19
TWO LITTLE MINERS,
How They Kept Their Parents Supplied
With Plenty of Fuel

Il
With Plenty of Fuel.
Nearly quarter of century ago
man who lived in an Eastern State,
overtaken by the American passion for
the hardships of pioneer life. moved
with his family to the then unsettled
West. The family consisted, besides
the husband, of wife and two little
daughters, and the journey westward
of many hundreds of miles was made
in a covered wagon. After numerous
hardships the little household at length
reached what is now the great State of
illinois, but what was then an almost
unbroken eXpanse of wild forest and
prairie land. The country pleased the
adventurer, and he built rude log
house upon the edge of q prairie
bounded on one side by wooded bluff,
and watered by small stream. 1t was
promising site for one of the great
farms of the future, and even the first
year of the settlers occupation saw an
abundant crop of corn and the family
safe from priyation, so far as food was
concerned.
Winter came, one of the severest ever
known in the Northwest, and the only
want felt in the household was for fuel
The settler discovered, too late, that he
should have built his hut close to the
wood, or have provided plenty of fue
before winter arrived. He had rea-
soned that it would be the easiest way
to haul wood to the house upon the
snow, and his plan would have been all
right had he been able to do the work.
Unfortunately, just as the bitter cold
weather set in, the father broke his leg.
He could do nothing, and upon the
mother, who was herself i'll, and upon
the two little girls, devolved the hard
task Of supplying wood for the fire.
Many trips were made to the bluff,
and many an apron full of dead twigs
and bark was brought to the cabin, but
the little girls, who had to do the work,
nearly persisted on their journeys Fl
naily came great snow four or five
feet in depth, and further trips were
impossible. 1t seemed certain that the
family, far removed from all help, must
die of cold
There was d rude cellar to the cabin
and into this, for greater warmth, the
family moved, A few twigs and pieces
o. bark remained at this time, as the
result OF the childrcn's last trip to the
bluff, and with these Il fire was built
upon the cellar floor 1t burned well
enough, but us the wood was consumed
there was noticed great deal ofcracI-
ling and suffering, and the ground
| beneath and around the fire turned red.
1t attracted the curious attention of the
family, and it finally dawned upon
them that the fire had been built upon
4 bed of coal. In digging for the eel,
lar the pioneer had stumbled upon an
outcropping coal seam, but he knew
very little about coal and had not
deemed the circumstance of any con.
sequence. Now he changed his mind
There was no longer any danger OF
freezing to death.
The family moved upstairs again
and the two little girls became Goa
miners. They had only an old AK ant
a shovel, and they were small person.
ages and not very strong, but they die
not have q great deal of difficulty il
getting out a sufficient number of pail
fuls of coal day to keep the fire 90
ing. Before spring came they had 6
big hole dug into the bottom and into
the sides of the cellar. They made il
quite a roomy place, probably the
largest cellar in Illinois at that time
The family prospered, and those two
little girls are now middle-aged womer
and mothers of families who otter
laugh over the hard winters expert
ence of many years ago. And you car
not tell either one of those two middle
aged, comfortable-looking women any
thing about coal mining. They viii
tell you that they know all about it
that they, in fact, started the industry
in this part Of the country.-Natjonal
Dor Tribune.